A misogynist hates women. What's the word for someone who hates men?

October 11, 1985

Dear Cecil:

Many people know that a misanthrope is a person who hates all mankind and that a misogynist is a man who hates all women. But to the best of my knowledge, there is no word in the English language for a woman who hates all men. Cecil, here's your chance to go down in linguistic history. How about coining such a word?

— Tom M., Chicago

Cecil replies:

No need, Tomaso — somebody beat me to it. The word is misandrist, a practitioner of misandry (accent on the first syllable in both cases). We find the latter gem inMrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words, by Josefa Byrne. The root aner, of course, is Greek for "man." Compare the two varieties of polygamy, or multiple spouses: polygyny, multiple wives, and polyandry, multiple husbands. Consider your vocabulary enriched.